User:Fraj0103/Salma Zahid

= Salma Zahid = Salma Zahid is an English-born Pakistani-Canadian politician, who was re-elected as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada to represent the federal riding of Scarborough Centre during the 2015 Canadian federal election. She succeeded the Conservative Roxanne James after winning the 2015 Canadian federal election.

Early life and career
Zahid was born in Coventry, England. She holds a Master's Degree in Business Management from Quaid-i-Azam University in Pakistan and another Master's Degree in Educational Management from the University of London in England. She is Pakistani Canadian, mother of two sons and has resided in Scarborough since 2000. Zahid started a home catering business when she first moved to Canada and understands the struggles that many immigrants in Scarborough Centre face, as she also experienced the transition of moving to Toronto. When Zahid and her husband first moved to Canada, they struggled with finances and employment, as their educational background did not make up for the lack of Canadian experience. She is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Zahid has triple citizenship in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Pakistan. Zahid is proud that Parliament reflects the diverse population of Canada as there are no rules surrounding multiple citizenships to be a Member of parliament.

Zahid was a community organizer and worked for the Government of Ontario in multiple positions before joining politics. Zahid first decided to join her son's school council, which led to advocating against the cuts to education at the time. Zahid worked part-time for George Smitherman who was the Member of Provincial Parliament (Canada) and Smitherman eventually became her political mentor. Zahid worked for Smitherman until 2010.

42nd Canadian Parliament
Zahid was elected in the 2015 Canadian federal election as a Member of Parliament for Scarborough Centre (electoral district). During the 42nd Parliament, Zahid had many roles and was involved in multiple committees. Zahid had the role of Vice-Chair for the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, where she was a spokesperson for racialized women. Zahid was a member of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, where she advocated for efficient customer service and family reunification. Zahid was also a member of other committees such as Indigenous and Northern Affairs, Scrutiny of Regulations, and Public Accounts. As a Member of Parliament, Zahid worked to designate the month of June as Filipino Heritage Month, which was unanimously passed by the House of Commons of Canada.

In February 2018, Zahid announced that she was taking medical leave to treat her Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. This was used by the Scarborough Centre Conservative Party of Canada Riding Association Vice President to sell memberships via robocall. While recovering from chemotherapy treatment, Zahid wore a hijab for personal reasons, saying that she had grown closer to her Islamic faith while facing cancer. In May 2018, she became the first MP to wear a hijab in the House of Commons. Zahid received both positive and negative reactions to the hijab, and she responded with encouragement for diversity in Canada. In July 2018, after completing six rounds of chemotherapy, Zahid became cancer-free and returned to her job.

43rd Canadian Parliament
Zahid was re-elected in Scarborough Centre (electoral district) for the Liberal Party in the 2019 Canadian federal election. During the 2019 campaign, Zahid's team knocked on every door in the riding at least once. This was the first time that Zahid campaigned since being diagnosed with lymphoma.

As part of the Liberal Party of Canada, Zahid is pro-abortion and in favour of euthanasia, assisted suicide, and the inclusion of gender identities to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination.